Somebody Out There
by WBAD
Summary: She never smiles, never welcomes anybody. Never so much as interacts. And Lelouch wants to know why. [Lelouch/CC AU one-shot]


**A/N: Song inspiration? Yes, Ma'am XD CC is a precious bean ^-^ she deserves all my feels and love xD**

_**Somebody Out There **_**by A Rocket to the Moon. ;) Listen if you wish.**

* * *

**Somebody Out There**

She was a fascinating character, and he could never truly explain why she thoroughly had his attention. He couldn't even remember when her very existence began piquing his curiosity either.

For as long as he'd been enrolled in Ashford Academy, the strange girl was already here. In a different class, but the same level, nonetheless. Still he was strangely enamored by her, and that was that. Not that his existence — and everything else around them — really mattered to her.

She never smiled, never showed any extreme form of emotion other than the occasional grimace he saw and the general expression of disinterest on her pallid face. She always conversed with people with soulless eyes.

And in all truth, he didn't know if she was _truly _hiding every trace of emotion and putting up a stoic front, or was she really just _dead _inside. He didn't like that thought, but those two were the strongest possibilities as opposed to the many others floating around in his head.

Months after this errant fascination for her began, he firmly decided that he wouldn't put up with this brand of curiosity eating him up day by day any farther. He resolved to get-to-know her in the end. The end goal wasn't to become friends, because he didn't know if she wanted that, but perhaps a familiar acquaintance wasn't too much to ask for.

Looking back at it now, even he could say his first approach was a tad bit too forward. But no other form of introduction would work well with this girl, really. She always sat alone at lunch. She didn't occupy the same space everyday, and she wasn't picky either. The common denominator, however, was that she was always alone—eating in silence, and leaving after the last bit of lunch was consumed.

So despite the protest from his loud group of friends, he simply walked past them that day at lunch and made a beeline for the solitary girl's table.

"_Hi." He simply greeted, not bothering to expect a cordial invitation or ask for her permission. The girl's entire demeanor practically screamed that she didn't care. So he sat down across from her and began picking at his meager lunch._

_To his surprise, she responded far better than he expected she would._

"_If that's all you eat for lunch, it's no wonder why you're all skin and bones."_

_Okay, perhaps he deserved that for being too upfront. How else was he expecting to be greeted? With a lovely hi? A mild insult was the best outcome he should have thought of, because honestly, he had been so prepared for so much worst._

"_How have you been holding up, C.C.?" He flashed her a charming smile, the one that usually turns Shirley into complete putty, Kallen into an absolute tomato, and every girl into a screaming adoring horde._

"_I don't recall you ever acknowledging my existence before this. What do you want?" She spoke quietly, but he could easily discern the scorn in her voice._

_He simply shrugged. "There's a first for everything, and there's certainly nothing wrong with making new acquaintances."_

_The response was a frown—one that occasionally crossed her face when she was annoyed. And he only knew this because he had been watching her out of curiosity beforehand. "I don't want to be your acquaintance. To even be called one is pushing it."_

_He watched her walk away—as graceful as a strutting feline. He was expecting her to storm out of the lunch room like an angry whirlwind, but he supposed he had to give her credit for maintaining decent composure._

And if he had been interested in her before, the fascination only grew after that first encounter. Everyday, he went out of his way to greet her whenever he saw her, or sit with her at lunch even if she _did _walk away out of spite after two lines of conversation. A week of weathering her sharp tongue and suddenly waspish attitude turned into a month. And then two, then three, then four, until he hadn't fully realized that he had been trying to get her to tolerate him—at least—for half a year.

The fact didn't cross his mind all that glaringly until one of his friends pointed it out.

"_Why do you put up with it?" Suzaku asked out of the blue one day when both he and his best friend spotted the figure of a lonely girl cutting through the grassy fields._

_He rewarded his friend's question with a passive shrug and kept walking along _their _route._

"_It's been six months, Lelouch. She _clearly _doesn't want anything to do with anyone."_

_Let alone you, was the unsaid statement._

"_Then that's all the more a reason for me to keep going."_

And even then, he knew that he had invested far too much time and effort to let it go to waste. He didn't exactly put up with C.C. for nothing, but in that span of time, he _did_ see Suzaku's point. There wasn't anything in it for him—nothing except his genuinely insatiable curiosity for enigmatic things. He liked a puzzle, and this girl was definitely a complicated one.

But to what end? When he accomplished his goal, what then?

At that moment, he resolved to figure it all out when the time came. He didn't mind confusion once in a while. It was actually a refreshing change for such a mundane day to day life.

He didn't have long to wait for the answers when a class field trip to a petting zoo came. He had had thought that it was going to be just another boring trip filled with his fellow students gawking over the diverse zoology, but he was wrong. Throughout the duration of trip, he had discreetly hung back and watched her—like always.

Her hesitance to be around people was made all the clearer as she made a conscious effort to distance herself from the crowd. But while the rest of the enamored crowd was moving on from the pen of hopping rabbits, the center of his attention stayed behind.

And from the safety of the crowd, he had watched as CC picked up a few choice carrots and other greenery from the feeding bin and crouched down to be at the furry animals' level. Holding out a hand filled with appetizing food, the rabbits eagerly munched at the vegetables while she stroked one of them affectionately, a genuinely happy smile on her face.

It was a refreshing change to see. Because in that single moment, the girl clothed in isolation within the walls of the academy was gone. All that was there was a pure expression of joy on a carefree girl's face as she interacted with the animals.

In that single moment in time, Lelouch knew he'd found his motivation — his driving force for doing what he did. Because it was that profound desire — that strong compulsion — to see her smile like that again. Because for all his cynicism, even _he _couldn't deny how beautiful and radiant she had looked with her smile and her shimmering bullion eyes.

It was just a shame that it had morphed into her customary blank expression after one of the caretakers at the zoo approached her serene moment and told her about the rest of the school group moving on. Lelouch could easily see she wasn't pleased, but at the very least, she was polite to the employee. Begrudgingly, he watched her move on from the fluffy rabbits only to trudge behind the bubbly group of teenagers once more.

Because as the days wore on, and the more he observed her and interacted with her frequently, he could easily see how lonely she was. How withdrawn from the rest of the group. She was estranged, and no one bothered to speak to her because they were either intimidated by her demeanor, or they just straight up found her unsavory.

His friends were indifferent to her. Shirley tried to be friendly — invited her to parties and came up to her all cheery, but all she got were subtle nods, short answers, and polite refusals. Milly roped her into antics once in a while only to fail. Neither Rivalz nor Suzaku could get her to hold a lengthy conversation with either of them. And Kallen and Nina didn't feel comfortable enough around her because of the way she was.

"_You never smile." He'd commented offhandedly on one of the rare chances where she didn't leave after he sat down beside her. "Why?"_

_A cold and dead stare for burnt gold-colored eyes. "Why does it matter to you if I do or don't?"_

"_If you did, perhaps more people won't find you so frightening."_

_She frowned, cutting a quick glance his way before she returned to scribbling down notes. "I never asked for your opinion. Or your company."_

_Smirking, he cocked an eyebrow. "Then why not leave? Why are you here tolerating me?"_

She didn't have an answer then. He asked her the same question (or a variation of it) once in a while, whenever he had sat beside her. For weeks, maybe months, the dynamic didn't change.

"_You don't have a problem being 'nice' to everyone but me."_

"_Other people aren't being pushy." She grumbled under her breath._

"_Gino's pushy. Not me."_

_He spied the slight grimace on her face after he mentioned Gino's name. He liked the blond enough, but his bubbly disposition could be too much for some people sometimes. Milly and Shirley got along with him _too well _though. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for him or Kallen._

"_Do you hate me?"_

_It took a moment, before she responded with "Yes…"_

_The slight hesitation was all he needed, to know that she was lying._

Once, he saw her struggling with math. And though her frustration never showed, he could simply tell by the way she jotted down numbers and solved one similar problem after another — returning to the original page, and still coming up blank. He'd helped then, without being asked; and left immediately after he watched her give the right answer.

A secret smile of his own bloomed across his lips as he turned away and heard the faintest expression of her gratitude. Not a manner-less girl, after all.

More unsolicited tutorials happened, until they'd both come to an impasse. It wasn't bad, and it wasn't good. But it was comfortable and neutral. He didn't mind, and he could see that she slowly wasn't beginning to anymore either. At the very least, him helping her quietly with her studies was the beginning of a silent truce.

It didn't become a routine. But whenever he found her alone in the more secluded areas of the library, he didn't hesitate to check up on her just to see how she was faring. Sometimes she studied, other times, she was just reading a book. He'd caught her doing the latter so much that he deduced it was something they both had in common.

"_I never pegged you to be a YA romance type of person. Maybe thriller, but—"_

_He stopped talking when he caught the scathing glare she sent his way. Lelouch simply flashed a patient smile, more amused than irritated. She didn't really talk to him condescendingly anymore, and he considered that a small victory for this nigh impossible feat._

_Defensively, she closed her paperback novel. He'd definitely done enough today, and he simply settled for burying his nose back into his own book, thinking she'd leave after he invaded her personal space _again_. But she didn't._

"_Well, _you _seem to delight in fictional history a lot."_

_She stared into space and he smiled. "I'm writing a book, actually."_

_He caught her glance, and expected something frank along the lines of, 'What do I care?'_

_Instead, she tilted her head at him in a silent nod, and that was it…_

Her birthday came around. He tried to surprise her, but he was still met with that same quiet resistance.

The birthday plans didn't fail, per se. It just didn't have an impact. When he'd brought her a birthday cake (that he'd slaved over) made from his own hand, she stared at him for a good long while before thanking him and setting the lovely marble vanilla-frosted cake back in the box. He gave her a gift too — a scarf, which she slightly smiled at.

It wasn't the smile he glimpsed at the petting zoo with the animals, but it was a start. He knew he should have felt more disappointment. To others, it could be said that his gift wasn't well-received. But he truly didn't mind. CC was closed off and would never deign to show emotions. It was a fact he accepted from the moment he began with…whatever this was.

Over the next few days and when the weather got colder, he spied her donning his birthday gift. The spark of pride and fulfillment that flooded him was a surprise — a pleasant one nevertheless.

Tutoring sessions, reading together, and holidays and school events passed… She got better, and she was just emotionally quiet now. The dark cloud hanging over her eyes and her icy demeanor lessened a bit, but not truly dissipated.

He invited her to his own birthday party.

She only nodded yes, and he knew it was her way of repaying the cake he got her and the gift he bought for her birthday. He understood just how uncomfortable she was with his friends, but just this once, he wanted to see how she would fare in a social gathering with a considerable number of people; mostly comprised of his family and close friends.

She arrived, not a minute late, quietly sang 'Happy Birthday' with the rest. And when the guests were busy heaping piles of food on their plates, she personally came up to him and offered him a gift.

Later, when everyone had gone home, he opened her beautifully wrapped present to find a leather-bound book.

No, not a book— But a journal. A thick, yet beautifully embellished journal — not his first though. It was a personalized gift; with his initials embossed on the smooth cover. As he skimmed through the blank pages, he came across the note she'd written in the very middle. It was short and curt, but for some strange reason, it caused the strangest warmth to settle over his heart. Relieved and happy, to the point of confusion, when his eyes grazed over each word — over each letter done in her handwriting.

_I know you love books… You should definitely write your own._

_Maybe this will help._

_Happy birthday._

_Best wishes,_

He didn't get many chances to see her over the summer, and mostly because he was away. To his knowledge, she probably was too. But in the few times when he was free, he'd tried to set up days where they could hang out. He didn't know what did it, perhaps it was the fact that they were away from school and from prying eyes. She was more… open. He was more than used to having short conversations with her — ones where he'd have to fill the gaps with follow-up questions.

It was different during those Summer days. He mostly started conversations — as always, but she chimed in of her own volition with minimal coaxing from him. Observing simple things, he took note of her preferred ice cream flavor, found out she loved furry dogs, realized that she loved visiting thrift shops and antique stores (just because of the atmosphere), deduced that her favorite flowers were white tea roses. It was just the beginning.

He got the chance to walk her home one time though. She lived in a quiet street, in a duplex apartment.

Summer came and went. And before he and the other students knew it, school started up again. It was their graduation year; his, his friends, CC's.

He hoped he didn't sound delusional when he said he and CC were closer than they were the previous year. She joined him and his friends sometimes, but stayed quiet and kept to her corner. Part of the group for the moment, but not really.

Although he didn't know why, he respected it. They may have crossed the bridge and settled on subtle friendship, but he didn't know her personal stories — never pushed for them, because that was where his personal boundaries lay. Any person's past was their business.

But CC never spoke to him waspishly anymore. And it was all he could ask for… At the very least, when they parted ways after graduation, he would get the personal satisfaction of knowing he'd helped a closed-off student with their social life. He still didn't get that smile though.

Ah well… He supposed her friendship was now good enough. Her smile (what he could remember), was radiant and beautiful. And if it was _that rare_, then it was special. Part of him wanted to tell her that she should give her future special someone that smile one day.

But he didn't. It wasn't his business…

Spring break rolled around. With it, her approaching birthday all over again.

The second time around, he wanted to make it special. It was her 18th, after all. And though he knew CC never cared much for frivolous things, he still meticulously planned and prepared for the day anyway. As such, it didn't _all _go according to plan. He had an irrevocable appointment on the day of her birthday, so he was forced to call up the special place and move the reservations several days early.

He'd asked her to dress nice. She didn't argue.

Little did he know then that it would be the day that would change everything — warp their dynamic, and set them both on a path of no-return. The days that led up to it were full of ups and downs, and only Fate had deemed that they wouldn't walk away from that birthday celebration as friends. Not for much longer…

_She was a vision — a stunning wraith walking beside him with unnatural grace in the gloom. She'd asked where they were headed only once, considering how they were both dressed. He only told her it was an early surprise in honor of her 18__th__ birthday. She insisted that he shouldn't bother, but Lelouch was even more eager._

_He took her to a private glen decked out in warm fairy lights, strung and intertwined on arches that loomed over them as they stood at the entrance. Dressed in a modestly cut (an inch above the knee) cream dress, she was the picture of elegance and chic as he finally untied her blindfold and let her see._

_For the first time in a long while, Lelouch felt fear and slight worry — wondering what she made of his little presentation. For once, he _refused _to be appreciative if all he got out of this was a blank stare and a solid thank you._

_But just when he was on the brink of asking her outright, she turned to him with glittering silver lining the edges of her eyes. The majority of her expression still betrayed nothing, but that facade was crumbling fast as one unwarranted tear and then another slid down her pretty face. _

"_It's beautiful." She said in her wobbly voice, fists clenched tight and pressed against her chest, eyeing the wreathes and the decor — all of it meticulously laid down and prepared by none other than the boy who pestered her for company since last year. _

"_It's _so _beautiful."_

_Reverently, she traced her fingers over delicate netting, over the flowers and the lovely lattice work of trellises. This was just the entrance to the official venue, wasn't it? But it was still so heartbreaking and gorgeous. Like an entrance to the resolution of a story. In some ways, perhaps it was._

_Turning to him, she bowed deeply in gratitude. "No one's ever—" A slight break where she swallowed and cleared her throat. "I've never received surprises before. So, thank you."_

_It was followed by the smile he remembered he liked so much — the smile he always wanted to see. And though he was quite surprised by what she just said, all he could do was return that smile and take her hand, leading her the rest of the way._

"_I would have invited your family, but I didn't want to impose. I'm sure you'd celebrate with them on your _actual _birth date. Still, happy birthday, CC."_

_They had dinner in the middle of a pretty garden, bordered with medium-height hedges strung with the same fairy lights. There was a pavilion six feet away from the considerable dining table and its array of covered dishes. A four-tiered cake surrounded by white roses was perched atop a small round table not far._

_And all throughout their shared meal, she laughed and smiled. She sighed in bliss and utter contentment as he twirled and led her into a slow dance for fun after dinner. The number 18 was supposed to be a solid tradition, but he made do and gave her a verbal message worth 18 people, presented her with a large bouquet of 18 white tea roses — her favorite. And in the middle of their dance, 18 candles twinkled in their pavilion for two._

_There was a gold couch in the pavilion, furnished with throw pillows and a folded blanket. Later, as they wound down from the excitement, she told him a story — _her _story — as they sat side by side on that couch._

_It was the story of a girl who had spent the early years of her life in an orphanage, before being adopted, sent back to government care because of an incident, adopted into a different family again, and then sent back. Just like a hand-me-down sweater, and after she suffered through unspeakable acts of domestic violence in her first family too._

_There, she found little sense for using her name. Because if she wasn't going to be remembered or loved, and mostly forgotten anyway, then what was the use? She had friends before, but none stayed because every time, she was sent to different government welfare houses across the country. That meant different schools._

_It wasn't until recently that she received her official emancipation, and now she lived alone, balancing work and school (this, he figured out before). She'd looked him in the eye and told him that, no, there was no family to celebrate with on her 18__th__ birthday in two days. Not when she didn't have one from the beginning. If anything, her birthday was going to be spent in a therapist's office, to talk about the trauma. She was still trying to get better, and with sincerity in her eyes, she confessed that his friendship had helped her open up socially a great deal._

_So she lived alone, and worked a job to support herself while going to school…_

_And now he understood why…_

Why_, after all this time, she wasn't very comfortable with people. Why she refused to be open or bear her feelings. Because her whole life up to this point had been nothing but loneliness and fear. It was all just survival. That was why she studied so hard, why she strove for competent grades. She didn't say it, but it was obvious that all she wanted was a good life for herself after this._

_To finally hear her story and see the tears that glimmered at the edges of her eyes whenever she glossed over the hard parts, he'd given in to his own wanting. Had decided that it wasn't just the pretty face and the smile he wanted. He realized easily enough that all this time, he was drawn to her strength and her commitment to see life through as they spent the better part of the year slowly opening up to one another and feeling comfortable._

_He was the first _long-time _friend, she'd ever had._

_And in the beginning, she didn't want to form that connection because she'd been unsure and scared; thoroughly _convinced _that it was useless because friendships and other forms of intimate feelings would just fade over time. Even close friends and so-called family couldn't be trusted. Why bother?_

_But it was different tonight… He knew it._

_And she did too._

_Beneath the twinkling stars and with hundreds of candles and fairy lights glimmering around them, he reached for her face to brush away those tears. _

_It was heavy talk, but it was relieving. Nevertheless, he asked if she wanted to dance again and she said yes…_

_So he led her into a final dance before they would inevitably part for the night._

_But this time, he pulled her closer than before, silently pleased that she comfortably rested her cheek against his shoulder. He slowly brought their joined hands to his chest, where his thumb rubbed the back of her hand as they swayed to the soft melody and the quiet love song playing in the background._

_This was a fairytale… One she'd never thought could happen to her._

_But it was all real. He told her so before gently holding her face and leaning in slowly — so he wouldn't scare her or startle her. She felt no such feelings as that lovely mouth descended on hers. A soft and tender kiss, cautious at first before settling into firm strokes. His hands on her body, her fingers buried in his hair as she returned that kiss. A gift he'd wanted to give her._

_Because even if he didn't want to acknowledge it, he knew it happened long ago. Knew that he had been slowly falling in love with her all this time._

_When they both stopped for air, and his forehead laid against hers, she gave him her brilliant smile again, mouthing her gratitude._

_She said 'thank you,' for the time he spared, for enduring, for reaching out to her, for offering her his friendship. Thank you for never giving up. Thank you for seeing a stranger that didn't know they needed the help. But he offered anyway, out of the quiet kindness of his heart._

_Thank you for making her believe that love was real…_

_That friends could love. And there were people in the world who cared genuinely._

_She still had _so much _inner turmoil to work through, but 'thank you' nonetheless, because this was a better start to a complete healing journey that would happen. Better than she deserved._

_She leaned into his touch as he quietly peppered her face with the gentlest of butterfly kisses. All the while, murmuring three special words he only ever wanted her to know and hear. _

"_I love you…"_

_Three special words she deserved, and he would give to her for as long as she would have him._

"_I love you."_

_Three special words that let him endure a year of fighting with her demons, just to see the ethereal glow of the lovely angel hiding underneath._

"_I love you."_


End file.
